Too many treats?

[lmterp]

Mine love a wet mash too, especially warm, in the cold weather. I love how I use up the fines from their pellets. I also love how I can use up the whey from making yogurt. It's a treat for me to see them run over to eat it.



Sigh. Yup. No eggs for me. But it'll give me a reason to make a "first egg" post again.

Thank you! I love the idea of adding the whey that I normally throw out.

 

[lmterp]

That's a lot of extras. Mine get maybe 2 Tbsp of BOSS a day for the entire flock of 11 birds, and once in a while they'll get something from the garden or kitchen when available (today they got the stem and leaves from a cauliflower).

Doubt it caused an early molt but they're probably eating more extras than actual feed.

Thank you for your reply! What is BOSS?

 

[Eva2020]

Thank you for your reply! What is BOSS?

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds I believe

 

[21hens-incharge]

Thank you! I will try that, though I am skeptical that they will be fooled. (I tried that with a sick bird a couple of months ago.)

I don't try to fool them.
I have a cross beaked bird and provide it so she is ale to eat easier. Everyone gets it since it is FAR easier than separating her and trying to get her to eat while stressed.

As to worms and treating for those it is best to get a fecal float test run. Not every medication will treat for every kind of worm. It is best to know exactly WHAT if ANY are present before giving random medication.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thank you for your reply! What is BOSS?

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds I believe

Yes. Sorry, it's an abbreviation that gets used a lot around here but I forget that even I didn't know what it meant at first.

 

[hayley3]

Thank you for your response! Did you test for worms, or are you doing it proactively? I had wondered about worms, but a former vet friend/chicken owner said worms are unlikely. Nutriberries are a "snack" for birds that I originally bought to help give one of them oral antibiotics. But they LOVE it! It is probably a sort of scratch made into a ball.

One bird tested positive for worms at the Vet and I was noticing some runny poo on the sidewalk after she had been wormed and some of it was a bit smelly, so I thought it best to worm them.

 

[lmterp]

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds I believe

Wow! I am going to have to wean them. They

Short answer to thread title...YES!

Cut out all treats for 2-3 weeks, get them back eating their feed.
What is their regular feed, brand/model/protein and calcium percentages?

Chickens molt and grow a new set of feathers 2-3 times before around 6 months of age, those are called the juvenile molts.
Some pullets will have a partial molt their first fall/winter.
Most birds will have their first full adult molt their second fall/winter.

Pale combs is most likely because they are not in lay.

They eat Nature's Best Organic 16% egg Layer Crumb - ("not less than") 16% protein, Calcium between 3.5 and 4.5%. When they were laying regularly (only one laying right now), I also gave them crushed egg shells or oyster shells.

 

[lmterp]

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds I believe

Wow! I am going to have to wean them. They

One bird tested positive for worms at the Vet and I was noticing some runny poo on the sidewalk after she had been wormed and some of it was a bit smelly, so I thought it best to worm them.

Thanks. Their poop looks totally fine.

 

[jeabjeab]

I also say that is to many treats.

My flock of 19 have to share just one cup of treats a day.

If you want to try you could offer wet mash as a "treat". It is simply their regular feed mixed with water to make a mash the consistency of cooked oatmeal.
My crazy lot bypass the scratch to eat the mash every morning.

So, when you say '1 cup for 19 birds'..................are you speaking of 1 cup of scratch??
or
1 cup of kitchen scraps??
My birds will go on strike and I worry that their yolks will look like store bought eggs

 

[21hens-incharge]

So, when you say '1 cup for 19 birds'..................are you speaking of 1 cup of scratch??
or
1 cup of kitchen scraps??
My birds will go on strike and I worry that their yolks will look like store bought eggs

I limit the scratch to one cup. If the kitchen scraps are bulky like cantaloupe or zucchini they get a bigger serving.
Just don't dump buckets of kitchen scraps for them. There shouldn't be much left at the end of the day.
Things that are high carb like corn and peas I limit in the kitchen scrap bucket.